Mysterious Disappearances
by RhiHughes
Summary: The Doctor and Donna find themselves on the planet Lortose in the constellation of Gasteverous. Things start to take a turn for the worst when a young boy tells them about the mysterious Disappearances that took place four years ago.


The Haunting, Doctor Who

"Ah... lovely" said Donna as she stepped out of the TARDIS and was pelted with rain. The Doctor followed close behind; closing the TARDIS door behind him. "The planet Lortose! Home to the Lortosians! Lovely people!" exclaimed the Doctor as watched Donna grabbing her hood from the back of her coat and pulling it over her head. "In the constellation of Gasteverous!" he shouted as he pulled his coat around him before grabbing Donna's hand. "Can't we go to a spa or something?" Donna asked as he pulled her down a hill and onto a little cobbled road. "Where's the fun in that!" said the Doctor. Donna wasn't too keen on exploring a new planet, especially a planet where it rained all the time. She hated the rain; it made her hair go all frizzy and untidy. _The Doctor doesn't need to worry as his hair always looks great._ Donna thought to herself as she looked at the excited child-like grin that had spread across the Doctor's pale, slightly damp face.

It was about 9:00pm earth time when they reached the hotel. Donna was tired but the Doctor was still full of energy as he lept through the doors. Donna put down her hood and looked around. The hotel was old and rather run down with peeling dirty brown wallpaper on all four walls.

"Ding ding ding!" shouted the Doctor as he pushed down an old bell that was sitting on a dirty wooden desk in the corner.

"Customers!" shouted a voice that was running down a small hallway. The voiced belonged to a man, he was about human size and hand orange skin with fiery red hair on top. "Hello!" said the man who was now shaking the Doctor's hand rapidly. "Pleased to meet you, pleased to meet you" he said; now shaking Donna's hand. "Room for two?" asked the orange skinned man, very eagerly as he searched around the room for a piece of paper.

"Yes please" replied the Doctor as a large smile spread across his face.

Suddenly they heard a large CLANG from behind them, all three stopped and turned round. A small boy with red skin was lying on the floor buried beneath many pots and pans. The Doctor rushed to help him up. "Terribly sorry sir, please do excuse me sir" said the boy as he was pulled up to his feet. "What's your name?" asked the Doctor "Tommy Sir, Tommy Hitcher"

"Looks like a nasty gash Tommy" said the Doctor looking at a large blood filled cut on the boys arm. The boy took one look at the wound and suddenly felt rather queasy. "Mr..."

"Donrable" said the Orange skinned hotel owner.

"Mr Donrable, please could you fetch some bandages?" said the Doctor, looking into the small corridor behind him.

"Sure" said the man before hurrying into the hall. Donna stood by the Doctors side.

"It's going to be alright" she assured him. The Doctor held the boy's arm and examined the wound. "Nothing a bandage can't heal" he reassured him. The boy looked down at his feet, making sure he didn't look at the gash.

"Are you staying the night?" asked the boy curiously. The Doctor nodded; still examining the boys arm. The boy shuddered, a look of sheer terror in his eyes. Donna looked confused.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nobody ever stays here anymore... not since-" he was interrupted by Mr Donrable returning with a large yellow box.

"I have... bandages, plasters, disinfectant... you name it!" he said as he ran to join them. The Doctor took out a few bottles from the box and sprayed them onto the cut before wrapping round a bandage.

"Thank-you sir" whispered the boy as he pulled a letter from his pocket. "For you sir" he said as he passed the letter to Mr Donrable. He took one look at the letter before pushing it fiercely into his trouser pocket and passing the Doctor a key.

"Your key" said Mr D before returning to the hall.

"I really must be going" said the boy; scrambling to the door and pulling it open.

"Wait!" cried Donna. The boy stopped and turned back to her. "You said... you said nobody ever stays here anymore... why?" asked Donna looking into the boys deep purple eyes.

"Because of what happened four years ago" said Tom before dashing from the hotel and slamming the old door behind him. Donna and the Doctor exchanged looks.

"What does he mean?" asked Donna, her face pale. "I-i don't know..." said the Doctor looking the rusty key in the palm of his hand.

"One night, seven poogs please" said Mr Donrable from behind the desk.

"poogs?" said Donna, trying not to giggle. The Doctor smiled and rummaged round his pockets, later to pull out seven bronze coins.

"Poogs" said the Doctor; a large smile beamed across his face as he gave the money to the owner. "So Mr D" the Doctor started in his 'clever' voice. "Why is it that we are the first customers you have had in... oooh.." he pulled open a large dusty book on the desk and skimmed through it before stopping on a page in the middle. "Four years, blimey!" Mr D looked ashamed as he tried to hide his face by looking at the floor. "I mean... It's quite a popular part of town, you should have no trouble getting customers in here' especially at this time of year!" the Doctor shouted, his hands placed firmly on the desk, his eyes beaming down at Mr D who was now sitting down. There were a few moments of silence before he answered.

"Okay.." he said in almost a whisper. "Nobody wants to come here because of -." He stopped and looked at the Doctor. "I had nothing to do with it! Nothing!" It shouted across the room.

"It's okay, just tell us what happened" said the Doctor in a calm but stable voice.

"A few years ago the merchant girl went missing." He paused and swallowed. "After that... it all went down hill... several more children went missing, It got round and nobody wanted to come here anymore, no matter how many offers we had on." He stopped and looked at Donna. Tears started to fall down his cheek as he clasped his hands around his face."We couldn't afford to move anywhere after that, that's why we're stuck here!" He shouted as he pulled himself to his feet and wondered into the corridor.

"Haha!" screamed the Doctor, scaring Donna half to death. "We've got a mystery to solve!"

"Okay, come on Scooby!" laughed Donna as they walked into the corridor and up a large flight of stairs.

The upstairs of the hotel was dark and musty; you could tell that nobody had been there in a few years. The six doors were old and dirty. The doctor took the key he was given from his pocket and looked at it. On the key writing in black pen was the number 5. He tossed the key in his hand as he walked along the corridor; Donna following closely behind. "Number five!" he shouted as he came to a halt outside a white wooden door.

The evening was spent in mostly awkward silence as the Doctor fiddled with something he had found in his pocket. To Donna the thing looked like a small test tube with six round rings on the outside. Finally the silence was broken... "So...disappearances..." said Donna, perching herself on the edge on her bed. The Doctor didn't really reply, all he gave was a small grunting noise while he poked and prodded the object in his hands. Donna took a deep breath. "What's that then?" she asked him eagerly; pointing to the object.

"This, is a carnellium signalling device, remember when we went to Lurma and we were being chased by those huge robots, picked this up on the way!" Donna nodded.

"What are you doing to it?" asked Donna; her hands on her knees.

"I'm not really doing anything, more like trying to read it" he said as he picked up the device and held it to his ear. "This thing might give us some answers".

It was now 11o' clock, Donna was feeling rather sleepy but the Doctor was still up. The small table lamp was shining brightly on his alien looking test tube. Donna pulled the covers over herself and watched the Doctor from her bed for more than an hour before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Donna awoke to find herself alone in the room. The light shone brightly through the open curtains as she pulled herself to her feet. The Doctor's bed didn't look slept in and the light on the bedside table was still shining brightly. She turned it off and made her bed before leaving the room. "Doctor?" called Donna from down the hall.

"In here" said a calm voice coming from inside a small room opposite hers. The Doctor was sitting there still fiddling with the device. "Look at the view Donna" said the Doctor; looking over towards the window on the room. Donna walked over to the window; her high heels trotting on the wooden flooring. As Donna appeared at the window the realised what the Doctor meant. There were hills stretching for miles, in the distance Donna could make out a large glass-like building that reflected the clouds above. On the right hand side of the building as a sparkling blue lagoon that looked like a Californian sea. "Wow" said Donna as the Doctor appeared behind her.

"Lovely isn't it?" he said; a huge smile beamed across his face.

"Yeah" replied Donna.

Suddenly a loud beeping noise filled the room. "Ahaaa!" cried the Doctor; running back to his device. "Now we might be able to find out what happened her four years ago!" The Doctor skipped out of the door and into the corridor. The beeping was now much louder and more frequent. "Hmm..." said the Doctor in deep thought. "Of course! I'm so thick! Thick-thick-thickity-thick!" he said tapping his head with both index fingers. "Perception filter! I should have known!"

"Um... Doctor, what's a perception filter?" asked Donna, appearing behind him in the corridor.

"Donna, how many rooms on this floor?" asked the Doctor; running back to her.

"Um... six!" shouted Donna, looking at the doors.

"Look again" Donna counted again.

"Six" she repeated. "Defiantly..." she stopped, something had appeared out of the corner of her eye, something that her mind was pulling from, her gaze shifted. She stood there and looked down at the floor her hands on her head.

"What is it Donna?" the Doctor said; popping up into view. Donna looked back, now there was a door, this door looked like new it was so much cleaner than the others.

"There's another door..." said Donna; squinting.

"Yes! Perception filter! Shifts the perception the tiniest little bit!" he said as he galloped over to the newly appeared door. "Let's take a look inside!"

The door creaked open with a small push, Donna crept in behind the Doctor as they entered. The room was dark and smelly but very large; the Doctor could just make out a few small silhouettes by the window. "Hello..." whispered the Doctor as he edged closer to the window. Donna didn't say anything, it was times like this when she would say something really funny to make the Doctor laugh but she couldn't think of much to say.

Suddenly the Doctor felt something wrap around his leg. As he bent down it could just make out the face of a small boy, he about six or seven, from what the Doctor could make out he was wearing a red top and blue shorts, he hand red skin and yellow fluffy hair that stuck up much like the Doctor's. "Have you come to save us?" said the boy; his eyes gleaming. A few more small children were now standing with the time travelling pair; looking up at them, their faces pale.

"Yes yes... we have come to save you" said the Doctor reassuringly looking down at them.

"Let's get out of here, it stinks" said Donna backing out. The Doctor and the children followed her back out onto the small landing.

Donna could now see that there were six children standing in front of her; looking up at them with bright gleaming eyes. The boy with the red skin and yellow fluffy hair spoke first. "Where's mummy?" he asked softly; rubbing his eyes.

"Ohhh.." said the Doctor calmly. "We'll find your mummy" he said, ruffling his hair. The children blinked and smiled.

"Four years?" asked Donna; remembering what the Doctor had said yesterday.

"Hmm... time lock! We broke the lock when we opened the door, for us they've been in there for years but to them i'd say about a day?" The Doctor turned and looked at Donna. "Right, we have some children to return!"

"But Doctor, how did they get in there in the first place? I mean they can't have just wondered in could they?"

"No Donna, highly unlikely, How did you get in?" He said turning back to the children and crouching down to their level.

"I don't know" spoke a girl who was standing behind the children. She was considerably taller than the others, she wore a dress made of blue material and had brown hair tied back in a long plat. "I was asleep, we all were..."her speech was slurred. Just then the Doctor noticed a small mark on the underside of her arm.

"May i..." he said before slowly turning over her wrist. It looked like a wound; it was very red and looked sore. She blinked and held her head before slumping onto the Doctor. "Easy..." he said as he pushed her back onto her feet.

"Sorry i-"she stopped. Her face was very pale too pale. The Doctor had noticed that the others faces were looking the same.

"Plasmavore..." said the Doctor angrily, before looking up at the girls' worried face.

"You hoo Doctor!" came a voice from behind them. The Doctor turned round at almost lightning speed. An old lady figure was standing by the room they had stayed in. She had white curly hair.

"Mrs Finnegan, we meet again" said the Doctor, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets.


End file.
